


Pied Piper

by PsychedelicatePoltergeist



Series: Lessons In Strength, Friendship and Love [27]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Comedy, Dorks, Gen, Secrets, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-04
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2021-02-23 09:41:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23009488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PsychedelicatePoltergeist/pseuds/PsychedelicatePoltergeist
Summary: Kazuichi's been acting kind of weird lately - weird even by Kazuichi standards. Fuyuhiko wants to know what he's hiding. Is it a dark secret that could put him in danger... or something embarrassing that he's desperately trying to hide?
Relationships: Kuzuryu Fuyuhiko & Soda Kazuichi
Series: Lessons In Strength, Friendship and Love [27]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/918003
Comments: 2
Kudos: 29





	Pied Piper

**Author's Note:**

> This came out longer than I expected, but it kinda needed to be, and all things considered, I think it turned out okay? Please let me know what you think!

“Kuzuryuu?”

Fuyuhiko looked up from the desk he was scrubbing. Yukizome-sensei was approaching him, carrying a stack of papers. “Whaddaya want?”

Yukizome-sensei glared at him. “Don’t talk to me like that! I’m your teacher, not your lackey!”

Fuyuhiko rolled his eyes. “ _ Yes,  _ Yukizome-sensei?”

“I just need you to drop these off at Souda’s dorm once you’re done here.” She placed the stack of papers down on a clean desk nearby. Fuyuhiko saw that it was the work they’d done today.

“You’re puttin’ this on me ‘cuz I’m the one that idiot hangs around all the time. Ain’t that right?”

“No, I'm putting this on you because you and Souda are Soul Friends.”

Fuyuhiko's cheeks burned a bright pink. He sent his teacher the deadliest glare he could muster, which probably wasn’t much, considering the situation. “W-we’re not- that’s a stupid fuckin’ thing to say, why would you-”

Yukizome-sensei smirked. “His words, not mine,” she said. “Now hurry up and finish scrubbing that desk so you can give today’s work to your Soul Friend. You'll be rewarded in life for being kind to your friends."

Fuyuhiko didn’t need to be told twice. Ignoring his burning feelings of embarrassment, he finished cleaning the desk as quick as he could, then seized the stack of worksheets and hightailed it out of the classroom.

Once he reached Kazuichi's dorm, he heard laughter from behind the door. He knitted his eyebrows in confusion. Wasn't Kazuichi sick? What could he possibly be laughing at? He hoped he wasn't skipping class. He knew for a fact that he was going to kick his ass if that was the case.

Without hesitation, he pushed the door wide open.

“AHHHHHHHHH!”

Fuyuhiko jumped, not expecting Kazuichi to cry out like that.

The Ultimate Mechanic momentarily lost his grip on his phone, but he caught it and slammed it face-down beside him on the mattress. He then met Fuyuhiko’s bewildered gaze, his mouth turning up into a sheepish grin, showing off his razor-sharp teeth. “H-hey man, what’s up?”

The tone of his voice made it clear to Fuyuhiko that he was hiding something, but despite the scene he’d just walked into, Kazuichi looked quite sickly. He sat up in bed with his back leaning against the pillow stood up against the headboard, the blanket covering his torso. Fuyuhiko could see that he was only wearing a tank top, further exposing his pale skin. A box of tissues and a glass of water sat atop his bedside table, and Fuyuhiko cringed as he saw bright green snot hanging from his nose.

“You didn’t have to scream like that, geez,” said Fuyuhiko as he closed the door behind him. “I came to drop off today’s work. Yukizome-sensei’s orders.”

Kazuichi rolled his eyes. “‘Course it is” he grumbled. “Just put it over there.” He gestured toward his desk.

Fuyuhiko set the stack of worksheets down, then turned back toward Kazuichi, who’d taken a tissue and began sneezing into it. Fuyuhiko realised that he couldn’t spend too much longer in here, unless he wanted to catch this cold.

“I’m goin’ to meet up with Peko now,” he said. “Rest up. Stop fuckin’ around with your phone. The damn screen’s gonna give you a headache.”

Kazuichi tossed the dirty tissue into the wastebin beside his desk. Fortunately, it landed perfectly. “Sure thing, Mom,” he teased, grinning as he waved goodbye to Fuyuhiko.

As Fuyuhiko headed down the hall, he decided not to dwell on Kazuichi’s overreaction to his entrance. It was a little weird, sure, and Kazuichi did seem as though he was hiding something, but it was no big deal. Besides, Kazuichi was easily-startled, especially when he was sick. There was nothing to worry about, so Fuyuhiko was going to forget about it and move on.

「💜💜💜」

Fuyuhiko was disappointed, but not surprised, when he woke up with a cold the next morning. Kazuichi wasn’t the most hygienic person in the world, and Fuyuhiko should’ve known better than to set foot in his dorm while he was sick. Luckily, it was Saturday, so he wasn’t going to miss any classes.

By Monday, he and Kazuichi had both fully recovered, and they entered the classroom that morning feeling rejuvenated. Nagito smiled at them as they settled themselves at their desks directly in front of him. “Ah, what a hopeful morning!” he exclaimed. “The weather is perfect, and two wonderful Ultimates have recovered from that despairing disease!”

“It’s just a cold, Nagito,” said Fuyuhiko, rolling his eyes. He turned toward Kazuichi sitting beside him, expecting his usual look of exasperation as far as Nagito was concerned, but instead he was met with a vacant stare. His eyes were glazed over, and he looked as though he was on another planet. “Oi, come back down to Earth, will ya? Now’s not the time for daydreamin’. Sensei’s gonna be here any minute.”

Kazuichi flushed as he snapped out of his reverie. He chuckled, nervously scratching the back of his head. “R-right, sorry ‘bout that,” he said. Fuyuhiko heard him mutter “stupid hope, stupid daydream” under his breath.

“Don’t worry, Kazuichi,” said Nagito. “I daydream about hope, too. There’s nothing wrong with indulging in your own little hope world. It’s better than being on the blue side. Think of it as having your own little piece of peace.”

Kazuichi gritted his teeth and clenched his fists as his cheeks reddened further. Fuyuhiko bit his lip to contain his laughter. His friend looked constipated, to say the least.

He was both relieved and disappointed when Yukizome-sensei arrived before the issue could escalate.

「💜💜💜」

Fuyuhiko didn’t think much of these two strange incidents, nor did he feel the need to find any connections between them. Kazuichi was an eccentric boy at times, and in most cases Fuyuhiko didn’t want to know what went on in his crazy mind.

It wasn’t until the following Wednesday morning that he began to suspect that something was amiss.

It was homeroom, and Yukizome-sensei was telling the class about an upcoming class trip to Paris. She handed out consent forms to each student, and Fuyuhiko read his over with interest. ¥40,000. That was manageable. The Kuzuryuu Clan could cover that easily.

Kazuichi, on the other hand, was sweating nervously and gritting his teeth as he stared down at his consent form.

Fuyuhiko shot him an affronted look. “You can afford it, can’t ya?” he said. “You’ve been savin’ up for months.”

“N-not really…” Kazuichi admitted. “I-I only have like ¥7,000 in my account…”

“What!? Only ¥7,000!? I thought you had way more than that!” Fuyuhiko glared at him. “You blew it all on some useless crap, did you?”

“N-no! I h-had to buy some… some extra parts!”

Kazuichi was caught in a lie, and Fuyuhiko knew that. What on earth did he need extra parts for? The school warehouse was  _ loaded  _ with spare parts for all sorts of things, from cars to smartphones, and as far as Fuyuhiko was aware, Kazuichi wasn’t working on any major projects right now.

He was about to point this out when Yukizome-sensei called for the class’s attention again, and he had no choice but to face toward the front of the classroom and listen to her.

「💜💜💜」

Okay, so Kazuichi was definitely acting weird, even by Kazuichi standards. Fuyuhiko had no choice but to admit that after the conversation about his money. Something was going on, and he had to get to the bottom of it.

“Kazuichi, we need to talk,” he said as they left the English classroom that afternoon, having cleaned up to conclude the day’s lessons.

“Can’t,” Kazuichi called over his shoulder as he walked ahead of Fuyuhiko. “I’ve got somewhere to be.”

“Wh- I didn’t know you had plans today! Where are you going!?”

Kazuichi’s cheeks bloomed pink. “None of your business!” He sped up his pace, and he was lost in the crowd before Fuyuhiko could respond.

Fuyuhiko clenched his fists. His closest friend outside of the clan was  _ definitely  _ hiding something from him. He knew it was probably just something really stupid, like a secret girlfriend or something of the sort, but regardless, he felt betrayed. Wasn’t he Kazuichi’s Soul Friend? Hadn’t Kazuichi said that Soul Friends told each other everything? Fuyuhiko had spilled his guts about his family and his troubling life as the heir of the Kuzuryuu Clan, and this was what Kazuichi gave him in return?

Someone grabbed his hand, and the next thing he knew, he was being pulled along toward the dorms. Fuyuhiko looked up and sighed with relief when he saw that it was only Peko. They hadn’t revealed their close ties to anyone except Kazuichi yet, so they had to be careful with how they interacted in public. Peko let go of his hand once they reached her dorm. The coast was clear, so the two of them entered the room without any problems.

After closing the door behind them, Peko cut right to the chase. “I have witnessed that scene with you and Kazuichi, Young Master. Is everything alright?”

“Whaddaya think?” said Fuyuhiko.

Peko paused for a moment. “I think there is some secrecy going on in your relationship.”

Fuyuhiko rolled his eyes. “Thanks for pointin’ out the obvious.”

“I am glad to know that you have arrived at that conclusion as well.” She gave him a serious look. “I am beginning to have serious doubts about your friend, myself. Take caution, Young Master - he could be working against us.”

Fuyuhiko knew exactly what she meant - that there was a possibility that Kazuichi was trying to take down the Kuzuryuu Clan. But… that couldn’t be possible. Kazuichi was just an idiotic, hormone-addled teenage boy with a knack for fixing things. He was terrified of the rest of the clan, as Fuyuhiko had found out the hard way when he visited Kuzuryuu Manor during the summer. Even if he  _ wanted  _ to destroy the clan, he’d never work up the courage to even try.

“I will deal with him myself if I must,” Peko added.

He knew that Kazuichi was probably just a really good actor, feigning cowardice to find the clan’s weaknesses, but Fuyuhiko couldn’t bring himself to doubt him.

“Don’t worry ‘bout it, Peko,” he said. “I’ll sort this myself.”

Peko nodded. “Understood.”

「💜💜💜」

After that Wednesday afternoon, things between Kazuichi and Fuyuhiko took a turn for the awkward.

They continued to hang out and talk to each other, but something about their interactions felt mutually strained. Whenever they were together, Kazuichi became more flustered and jumpy, and he had a tendency to look around the room, as though watching out for someone or something. Fuyuhiko began to wonder if he’d gotten into trouble with some bully. Maybe the reason Kazuichi had lost so much of his money was because the bully had stolen it. Maybe he’d met the bully - and perhaps his gang - somewhere for a fight that Wednesday afternoon. Fuyuhiko couldn’t see any injuries on him, though, and he knew for a fact that Kazuichi was hopeless in physical confrontations. Still, the situation was concerning, and he wanted to help in any way he could - preferably by beating the bully to a pulp.

By lunchtime on Thursday, Fuyuhiko finally had an answer to his burning questions.

They were waiting in line to collect their lunches in the cafeteria. Fuyuhiko stood behind Kazuichi, who, by luck, stood behind Sonia. He was so busy staring at her backside that Fuyuhiko had to give him a gentle prod every time the line moved forward. It was annoying, but at least it was a Kazuichi thing to do. Fuyuhiko was relieved that he was at least acting somewhat like his usual self.

In front of Sonia was Chiaki, and the two of them were engaged in lively conversation while they waited for their food. Despite the noise level of the cafeteria, Fuyuhiko didn’t have much of a problem hearing their conversation.

“The music in this country is bomb!” Sonia said enthusiastically. “But I must admit that I have been a huge fan of a particular group from South Korea.”

“Oh, you like Kpop?” said Chiaki.

“Yes, that’s what it’s called!” Sonia confirmed. “Surely you have heard of BTS? According to the fans, they are the most popular music group in the world!”

“Ah… yeah, I think I know them. They’re very popular here, too.”

The line moved forward. Noticing that Kazuichi had spaced out again, Fuyuhiko gave him another gentle prod. He was taken aback when Kazuichi jumped in fright and cried out.

“Fuckin’ hell, Kazu, it’s just me,” he said in a low voice. “If you’d come down to Earth for one sec I wouldn’t have to poke you.”

“Y-yeah, sorry,” Kazuichi mumbled as he moved forward. He glanced around the cafeteria, only this time, he seemed to be avoiding looking at Sonia.

_ There he goes, actin’ all weird again,  _ Fuyuhiko thought to himself. He had the biggest crush on Sonia, and everyone knew it. It was unusual for him to deliberately avoid looking at her. Was he jealous that she’d taken a liking to a boy group? Fuyuhiko didn’t know much about BTS, but he was aware that all of the members were very attractive, and they had tons of fangirls.

He quickly dismissed that thought. Kazuichi was noticeably irritated whenever Sonia talked about or expressed interest in Gundam. Now, though, Kazuichi seemed more… embarrassed. He was fidgeting with the zipper of his jumpsuit the way he always did when he was nervous. Sure, he was rather shy around Sonia at times, but they weren’t even talking right now. Sonia was happily telling Chiaki about this boy group she liked.

That was when a certain thought crossed Fuyuhiko’s mind: what if Kazuichi’s strange behaviour was all because he liked BTS, too? Well, maybe not BTS or Kpop, specifically, but some other girly thing people would probably tease him about. Fuyuhiko knew that his friend was very self-conscious, and he knew how it felt to like something and feel ashamed of it. After all, he wasn’t exactly proud of his fondness for sweets.

He decided to hold on to that thought. It was better than Kazuichi betraying him or having a hard time with some asshole.

They finally took their food and sat at their usual table. Kazuichi was still a little jittery as he ate. Fuyuhiko knew that now was the time to settle this.

“Y’know, Kazu,” he began, speaking a little quieter than usual, as he was aware of the people at the surrounding tables. “I dunno what this is all about or why you’ve been actin’ so weird lately, but… I don’t give a fuck about what you like. You don’t hafta hide shit from me. I’m your… your fuckin’ Soul Friend, or whatever.” He blushed slightly. Part of him wished he didn’t have to do this; he hated mushy conversations like this.

Kazuichi sighed after swallowing a small mound of rice. “I guess I’ve been kinda obvious about it,” he admitted, turning toward Fuyuhiko. “I… I’ll tell you, but you better not tell anyone, okay? This is just between you and me.”

Fuyuhiko nodded.

Kazuichi glanced around the cafeteria, as though making sure that no one was listening. As far as Fuyuhiko could tell, everyone was engaged with their food and their own friend groups. When Kazuichi turned back toward Fuyuhiko, he looked as though he was willing the ground to crumble beneath him. After a moment of tense silence, he took a deep breath.

“I-I like… I like BTS,” he confessed quietly. He turned away from Fuyuhiko. “You can laugh now.”

The entire situation was so ridiculous that Fuyuhiko had to try really hard not to. Kazuichi had been acting really weird all week, and it was all because he liked a boy group. He supposed that this was the kind of thing he was getting into when he decided that Kazuichi was going to be his “blood brother.”

“It’s stupid, I know…” said Kazuichi. “But d-don’t get the wrong idea! I-I’m not gay! I just think this one guy, Jungkook, is really cool, that’s all! He works out every day, a-and he’s  _ packed  _ under there! I wanna be just like him, y’know? I wanna be a handsome guy and get all the girls just like him!”

Fuyuhiko rolled his eyes. “You’re an idiot,” he said. “I wouldn’t judge you for that kinda shit.”

“You don’t understand… I’m an ARMY, man. I’m in this BTS shit for life.”

“ARMY?”

Kazuichi blushed. “Th-that’s what BTS fans are called. ARMY.”

Fuyuhiko thought back to Kazuichi’s strange behaviour over the past week. Hiding his phone screen when Fuyuhiko had entered his dorm to drop off the day’s schoolwork - he must’ve been looking at something to do with this BTS group. Blowing so much of his money that he couldn’t afford to go on the school trip…

Fuyuhiko glared at him. “You blew all your money on some concert, didn’t you?”

Kazuichi chuckled half-heartedly as he rubbed the back of his head. “Y-yeah… they have a show in Saitama next month… maybe if you lend me a couple ten thousand yen I’ll go on that school trip with ya…”

“In your dreams,” said Fuyuhiko, although he was thinking of asking his parents to loan him some money so that he could help Kazuichi out.

“Ah, I see you’ve finally told him, Kazuichi,” came a soft voice. To both boys’ shock, Nagito had appeared before their table, seemingly out of nowhere.

Kazuichi raised his fist, glaring at the Ultimate Lucky Student. “I swear to god, Nagito, if you don’t piss off right this minute-”

“Wait,  _ he  _ knows about this!?” Fuyuhiko cut in, darting his eyes from Kazuichi to Nagito in disbelief.

Nagito smiled at Fuyuhiko, completely unfazed. “Why yes, Fuyuhiko, I’m an ARMY, too.”

“Fuck off, you’re not an ARMY,” said Kazuichi. “You’re only in it for J-Hope.”

Nagito didn’t acknowledge that. Instead, he said to Fuyuhiko, “I’m glad Kazuichi has finally told you about this hopeful group. You should look into it, yourself. I’d recommend starting with the wonderful J-Hope’s-”

“Shut up, shut up, shut up!” Kazuichi cried. “You’re bein’ embarrassing!”

This outburst attracted stares from the surrounding tables.

Fuyuhiko shot Nagito a threatening look. “Get the fuck outta here, or I’ll invert your fuckin’ eyeballs.”

“Okay, okay,” said Nagito. Still smiling, he gave Kazuichi and Fuyuhiko a little wave. “Bye now,” he said as he turned and headed back to his own table.

Once he was gone, Fuyuhiko sent Kazuichi a warning look. “I don’t give a fuck whether or not you’re into BTS,” he said, “but for the love of God, keep that batshit fuckhead away from me. If you wanna be buddy-buddy with him, fine, but-”

“He’s not my friend either!” Kazuichi interrupted. “H-he just… he walked in on me dancin’ to Mic Drop one time, and…”

“I don’t care,” said Fuyuhiko. “I want nothin’ to do with him. Okay?”

“Good, ‘cuz neither do I,” said Kazuichi.

Fuyuhiko was pretty sure that Kazuichi was caught in another lie, but this time, he didn’t care to look into it. As long as Kazuichi wasn’t hurting anyone, including himself, he didn’t care what he liked or what he did. They were still Soul Friends, as cringey and mushy as that sounded.

He sighed with relief as he focused on finishing his lunch, half-hoping that Kazuichi wasn’t going to spend too much time fanboying about that Jungkook guy from now on.

**Author's Note:**

> Uhh, yeah, as you can probably tell by now, this was very self-indulgent. Hopefully not overly-so, though. I wanted to make this oneshot enjoyable for both BTS fans and those who don't know, like or care for BTS, and I hope I've succeeded in that regard. If not, well, at least I tried.
> 
> Thank you for reading this oneshot, and I hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
